The
Riverside Landscape Architectural District
was
designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1970.

To
retain its original aesthetic charm, the Village
of Riverside maintains approximately 379 antique-style
gas street lanterns instead of the more common
electric
street lights.

Riverside
is a community that is nationally and internationally
recognized as one of the first planned suburban
communities in the country. That recognition is
enhanced because of the Village's association with
world-famous landscape architect Frederick Law
Olmsted - the same Frederick Law Olmsted that designed
New York City's Central Park, numerous university
campuses including Stanford University, and the
gardens of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North
Carolina, among others. Accordingly, the history
of Riverside is equally unique.

Riverside
Improvement Company Formed
In the late 1860's... A
an Eastern businessman named Emery E. Childs brought together a group
of associates to form the Riverside Improvement Company. In their search
for property to develop, they turned to the economically booming Chicago
area where they quickly purchased a 1600-acre tract of property along
the Des Plaines River. The site was highly desirable due to its natural
oak-hickory forest and its distance from Chicago - a full eleven miles
from downtown. Further, its position along the winding Des Plaines River
cooled the area, yet because the land was well drained, it was relatively
mosquito free.

The
Riverside Improvement Company commissioned well-known
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (pictured)
and his partner, Calvert Vaux to design a "rural" community.
Olmsted and Vaux had already received
widespread acclaim for their design of New York
City's Central Park, and could lend prestige to
the project. The Improvement Company wanted Riverside
to combine the pleasures of rural living with urban
conveniences such as community-provided gas, water
services, and maintained streets. Olmsted and Vaux
went further in attempting to maintain a pastoral
feel in an urban setting, though. Instead of planning
the community's streets in a grid fashion as most
other cities are laid out, they planned the streets
to follow the area's natural contours. Streets
follow the Des Plaines River, and continue from
there to wind all through the Village. The town's
plan, which was completed in 1869, also accorded
for a Grand Park system that uses several large
parks as a foundation, with 41 smaller triangular
parks located at intersections throughout town
to provide for additional green spaces and an open,
rural feeling.

Regardless
of Olmsted's association with the project, the
town might have never "taken off" had it not been
for the disastrous Chicago fire of 1871. Though
the fire initially drew money away from the construction
of Riverside and into the reconstruction of Chicago,
it also served as an impetus for many people to
move away from the crowded, dirty, and loud City
of Chicago and out to Riverside. It was the very
last stop for the Burlington-Northern Railroad
commuter train from Chicago in the 1860's, but
it was a stop nonetheless, making it very easy
for residents to get in and out of the City.

To
this day, the charm of Riverside endures. The entire
Village was designated a National Historical Landmark
in 1970 due to its significance as a planned community
and because of its unique original community landscaping
plan that is still followed today. Riverside is
a living legacy that can be enjoyed by the families
living here as well as by the many who come to
visit.

The
Avery Coonley Residence was designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright in 1908
and represents the Prairie
Style of architecture. Wright himself described
the Coonley House as "The most successful of
my houses from my standpoint." The Coonley House
was designated a National Historic Landmark in
1975.

The
F.F. Tomek House was also designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright. It was
designed in 1905 and was
instrumental in the creation and development
of the Prairie School Style of Architecture.
The house was designated a National
Historic
Landmark in 1999.

Fifty-six
structures have been designated as local landmarks,
ranging from Tudor Revival to Arts and Crafts to
Victorian to Colonial Revival style homes.

The
Arcade Building(built 1871 Architect:
Frederick C. Withers, onetime partner of Calvert
Vaux)First commercial building to be built in
the Village. One of the earliest examples of a
multi-shop, commercial buildings in the nation.

Riverside
Township Hall(built 1895 architect: George
Ashby)

Riverside
Water Tower(built 1871 architect: William LeBaron
Jenney) Designated as an American Water Landmark
in 1972 by the American Waterworks Association,
one of only eight such American Landmarks recognized
as important in the technological development of
American water supply.

Riverside
Historical Commission Museum The
Riverside Historical Museum is located in Riverside's
historic Water Tower Pump House and is managed and
operated by the seven-member volunteer Riverside
Historical Commission. The museum contains approximately
16,000 documents and artifacts that are primarily
dedicated to preserving the rich history of Riverside.
It houses documentary history of the Village of Riverside
and environs: Archival materials include origins,
territorial plats, maps, manuscripts, architectural
drawings, records of Village management and civic
organizations, Historic Structure Survey, photographic
records, books, audiovisual tapes and transcriptions
and artifacts. It houses many nationally significant
artifacts relating to Riverside, Frederick Law Olmsted,
and to the many noteworthy architects who have built
structures in Riverside.

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
every Saturday, on designated evenings during the
summer months, or by appointment. Contact the Historical
Commission at 447-2542
or History@Riverside.il.us

Admission is free; donations are
gladly accepted.

Riverside
Historical Commission MuseumMissionTo receive, identify, preserve, exhibit and
adopt all measures deemed necessary to maintain historical
records and materials given or acquired by the commission
or by the Village pertaining to local, state or federal
history.